It’s five games into Mike Macdonald’s career as Seattle Seahawks coach, and in some ways, it feels like it’s just about to start. But for real this time.

What Seattle Seahawks’ D has been missing in back-to-back losses

You’re probably thinking that sounds insane and I know why. His coaching tenure began when he signed his contract, met the media, and hired his staff. He had to design and communicate his vision, scheme and language. He worked with general manager John Schneider to acquire the types of players he needed. He spoke to the team, ran training camp, got his first preseason and regular season wins and losses. All those moments were important, all fraught with peril, all handled with aplomb by the youngest head coach in the league.

We celebrated his initial accomplishments. He comes off as such a smart guy and his team seemed to respond immediately to his style. We witnessed more communication and discipline than we had become accustomed to seeing. And three games into his career – no, three wins into his career – everything was as smooth as could be. So smooth that even a loss in Detroit barely counted as friction. It was easy to write off, what with the quality of opponent, the number of injured defenders, and the offensive success.

But losing at home to the Giants broke the spell.

The Giants don’t have a good quarterback. They aren’t loaded with talent and they were missing two of their top weapons. This wasn’t written into the script.

Which is exactly why I think Macdonald’s career truly starts now. We often hear how NFL coordinators like to script the first 15 plays of each game before reacting from there. Well, he’s past the first 15 and now it’s time to adjust.

You may hear some Seahawks fans grumble. You might know one or two who has “lost confidence.” The truth is that doesn’t really matter. Fans can (over)react each week without affecting much of anything. But this is Macdonald’s first big test with his players. They have to respect the way he handles the challenge of a losing streak.

We knew there would be fits and starts to this season. That is how it goes for most NFL teams and certainly for rookie coaches. Macdonald wasn’t hired because of his experience or just to make an immediate impact. This was a long-term investment. By his own admission, he is still learning and experiencing things for the first time. What we’ve come to understand is that he is careful to learn from those experiences, and that should serve him well as his career progresses.

But how he handles his first losing streak is a huge thing. Losing is part of life in sports, but it tests completely different muscles than most anything else. We’ve seen it break competitors who never learned how to process it. We’ve seen purportedly solid locker rooms come apart at the seams. We’ve seen coaches lose command of the ship.

To suggest that is all on the table after two losses is ridiculous. Macdonald will get to learn from mistakes along the way and I’d be willing to bet he has an exceptionally long leash. But this will be his first chance to answer some very important questions.

• Can he remain consistent? If there is one thing you hear players (and employees) complain about, it is inconsistency in their boss. People want their leader to be the same person in all situations so that their world is predictable. Predictability breeds comfort. And consistency breeds confidence.

• Can he walk the fine line between making adjustments and sticking with his principles? Macdonald spoke this week about the difference between principles (which are ironclad) and methods (which are more malleable). I have no doubt he understands the difference and will behave accordingly. But the challenge is to project that to the players who must know he has solutions but isn’t panicking. You want to adapt; you don’t want to abandon ship.

• How do the players handle his accountability? Three weeks into the season, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported on some of Macdonald’s early efforts to instill a level of accountability. We heard about how he “chewed out” players who failed the conditioning test, and then “brought up the issue in front of the rest of the team.” He demands accountability and he wants to be the enforcer.

That style can be immensely effective, especially as a 180-degree change from what preceded it. This locker room likely needed some tough talk. But how will it be received after a couple of losses? Macdonald seems to be just as tough on himself as he is on his players, and that should give him the credibility to press forward in his own style. But this is new territory. Losing tests that credibility and that accountability.

The Mike Macdonald era began last winter and the groundwork for everything he wants to accomplish has clearly been laid since the day he was hired. Now we get to find out how solidly he built the foundation. Because the first tremors of pressure are just starting to roll through.

How he handles it will matter. Whether the Seahawks win will likely matter more. As we know, nothing relieves pressure like a win. And he has a chance for the biggest one of his young career on Thursday night.

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Hey, all you soccer haters: put your seething disdain for the world’s favorite sport on hold and thank the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup for giving us a brief glimpse of a clean, livable downtown Seattle.

Lumen Field will become one of the U.S. host sites for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, with global powerhouses like Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus potentially gracing our streets between June 15 and July 13. This comes not just with significant economic opportunities, and some hopefully great soccer, but an added perk that’s been long overdue.

Though we won’t know how many games Seattle will get (or which teams we will host) until December, the real winners are the people who want downtown to stop resembling a post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland — at least for a few weeks.

More from Jason Rantz: In Tacoma, businesses fight for electric fences amid crime surge

Will Seattle get cleaner and safer for the FIFA Club World Cup?

If you remember MLB’s All-Star Week this past summer, you already know the drill.

Seattle’s beloved homeless encampments, the open-air drug markets and the aroma of urine that clings to your soul? Poof! Gone. Mayor Bruce Harrell suddenly found the resources and energy to clean up Downtown, SODO and Pioneer Square — for MLB’s executives. He’ll do the same for FIFA executives and the big teams. When Seattle plays host to those Harrell respects, the city suddenly works. Meanwhile, Seattleites and tourists? Yeah, we get the short end of the stick almost every other day of the year.

But hey, at least when FIFA execs roll through with their high-profile teams, we’ll get to experience the fantasy: a version of downtown Seattle that doesn’t make you question why you call such a poorly run city home. The streets will be hosed down, the fentanyl zombies will temporarily vanish and the stench of desperation will be magically lifted. You might actually feel safe walking around without having to dodge nearly lifeless bodies of homeless addicts.

It’s a sad reality, though. Once FIFA leaves, Seattle will immediately backslide into its grimy comfort zone — homeless addicts will flood back in, public spaces will again smell like a truck stop bathroom that hasn’t ever been cleaned, and Harrell will resume his “meh” approach to governance.

But hey, we’ll enjoy it while it lasts. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? It’s just too bad that we have to wait another year for it.

More from Jason Rantz: The truth behind Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell ‘endorsement’ of anti-cop socialist

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This will be a weekly article series throughout the season looking back on what happened for the Seattle Seahawks 40, 30, 20, and 10 years ago this week.

There’s a pretty ugly 1-3 record with a bad 4th Quarter collapse in 2004 and a failed comeback attempt in 2014 to discuss. Thankfully, we can start out with a win in 1984.

40 Years Ago

Sunday, October 14, 1984

Game Log

Up first is a home game for the Seahawks against the undefeated Buffalo Bills. It got a little hairy, yet they managed to pull it out in the end.

The 1st Quarter went the way of the Seahawks with 17 unanswered points. Dave Krieg started off hot finding Daryl Turner for a 4-yard TD and Steve Largent for a 10-yard TD to put Seattle ahead 14-0. Norm Johnson added a 25-yard FG for the 17-0 lead. Then, the Bills took over in the 2nd Quarter with 14 straight points of their own with none of them coming from their offense. Lucius Sanford returned a fumble 46 yards for the defensive score and then Don Wilson had a 65-yard punt return TD to make the score 17-14 Seahawks at the half.

Seattle extended their lead to 24-14 in the 3rd Quarter on a 1-yard rushing TD by Eric Lane. Buffalo came right back with a 50-yard TD pass from Joe Ferguson to Byron Franklin to pull Buffalo within a FG at 24-21. The Bills then took the 28-24 lead on a 3-yard pass from Joe Ferguson to Preston Dennard in the 4th Quarter. Seattle stormed back and regained the advantage at 31-28 on a Largent’s 2nd receiving TD of the game, this one a 51-yarder from Dave Krieg to keep the Bills winless.

After a rough passing day last week, it was the running game’s turn to have a poor day with just 41 yards on 22 carries. Dave Krieg was 17/29 for 231 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT. Eric Lane was the leading rusher with 6 carries for 21 yards and 1 TD. Steve Largent had 5 catches for 106 yards and 2 TD.

Dave Brown and Terry Jackson each had 1 INT. Mike Fanning had 1.0 sack.

30 Years Ago

Sunday, October 9, 1994

Game Log

Similar to the game above, Seattle was facing a winless team in the 1994 Denver Broncos. This time, however, the Broncos and Wade Phillips got their first victory of the season.

What a game for the kicker aficionados. Jason Elam notched the only points of the 1st Quarter with a 26-yard FG to give Denver the 3-0 lead. John Kasay tied it at 3-3 with a 37-yard FG for the Seahawks in the 2nd Quarter. John Elway put the Broncos ahead 10-3 at halftime with a 2-yard rushing TD.

John Kasay kicked a 36-yard FG in the 3rd Quarter to make the score 10-6. Then, Jason Elam nailed 2 FGs from 33 and 37 yards to put Denver up 16-6. John Kasay pulled the Seahawks within 1 score in the 4th Quarter with a 42-yard FG but Seattle could get no closer as the Broncos won 16-9.

Seattle shot themselves in the foot with 5 turnovers. Rick Mirer was 19/39 for 244 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT. Chris Warren had 18 carries for 80 yards. Brian Blades had 6 catches for 90 yards.

Sam Adams and Bob Spitulski each had 1.0 sack in the defeat.

20 Years Ago

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Game Log

If you remember the 2004 season, the St. Louis Rams were a major thorn in the side for the Seahawks. This game is the first instance of that.

It started off well for Seattle, though. Shaun Alexander scored on a 1-yard rushing TD as the Seahawks took a 7-0 lead. Josh Brown added 3 points on a 48-yard FG shortly into the 2nd Quarter to give the Seahawks a 10-0 lead. Marc Bulger put the Rams on the board with a 9-yard rushing TD to make the score 10-7. Seattle answered back with a 24-yard passing TD from Matt Hasselbeck to Jerramy Stevens to go ahead 17-7. Hasselbeck threw another TD just before halftime – this one an explosive 56-yarder to Darrell Jackson – to give the Seahawks a 24-7 lead at the break.

The 3rd Quarter was nearly over before Jeff Wilkins hit a 39-yard FG to cut Seattle’s lead to 14 points at 24-10. Josh Brown put the Seahawks back up by 3 scores with a 34-yard FG with 8:42 left in the game. Seems like a pretty safe lead, right?

Wrong.

St. Louis marched right down the field and Brandon Manumaleuna caught an 8-yard TD pass from Bulger to pull the Rams closer at 27-17. Seattle’s offense went 3-and-out giving the ball back to Bulger. On the first play of the ensuing drive, he found Kevin Curtis for a 41-yard TD as the Rams were within a FG at 27-24 with 3:37 left in the game. The Seahawks got a quick first down and then stalled, punting the ball back to St. Louis with a little over 1 minute remaining. The Rams had used all their timeouts but that didn’t matter to Bulger who got them within FG range easily and Wilkins kicked the game tying FG with 13 seconds left to send the game to OT at 27-27.

The Rams won the toss and drove to midfield with a few timely 1st downs. On 3rd and 8 from the STL 48, Bulger ended the game on a 52-yard game-winning TD pass to Shaun McDonald to send the Seahawks into the showers with a bitter 33-27 OT loss.

Matt Hasselbeck was 20/35 for 216 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. Shaun Alexander had a strong game with 150 yards on 23 carries and 1 TD. Darrell Jackson had 5 catches for 91 yards and 1 TD.

Ken Lucas had 2 INT. Marcus Trufant added 1 INT. Chike Okeafor recorded 2.0 sacks.

10 Years Ago

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Game Log

Ugh, I remember this game against the Dallas Cowboys. It was the year when DeMarco Murray was going absolutely nuts. Granted, Dallas ran him into the ground with 392 carries, but they got their use out of him before he hit free agency.

Seattle scored first with a 33-yard FG by Stephen Hauschka to go ahead 3-0. The Seahawks defense held and forced a punt on the Cowboys first drive. Angry Doug Baldwin blocked the punt and Mike Morgan returned it 25 yards for a special teams TD and the 10-0 lead. It seemed like one of those games where the Seahawks would roll.

“Hold your horses,” said the Cowboys.

Dallas scored 17 consecutive points to pull ahead. First, Gavin Escobar caught a 2-yard TD pass from Tony Romo. Then, Dan Bailey hit a 42-yard FG in the 2nd Quarter to tie the game at 10-10. Finally, Romo threw a 3-yard TD pass to Jason Witten with 16 seconds left before the half to give the Cowboys a 17-10 lead.

The Seahawks tied it up at 17-17 in the 3rd Quarter on a 9-yard rushing TD by Russell Wilson. They went ahead 20-17 on another 33-yard FG from Hauschka but Dallas would tie it at 20-20 near the end of the 3rd Quarter on a 56-yard FG from Bailey. Hauschka was money once again in the 4th Quarter from 48 yards to give Seattle the 23-20 lead. Dallas then chewed 5 minutes off the clock and DeMarco Murray finished the drive with a 15-yard rushing TD to put Dallas back ahead at 27-23 with a little over 3 minutes left in the game. Seattle went 4-and-out giving the ball back to Dallas at the SEA 23. The Seahawks defense forced a 31-yard Bailey FG with 1:12 left to make the score 30-23. Their offense had one last gasp, but Russ was intercepted by Rolando McClain on the 2nd play of the drive and the game was over.

Seattle’s offense mustered just 206 total yards. Russell Wilson was 14/28 for 201 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT. Marshawn Lynch had 10 carries for 61 yards. Jermaine Kearse had 3 catches for 62 yards.

One week after allowing just 32 rushing yards on 17 carries, the Seahawks defense was shredded on the ground to the tune of 36 carries for 162 yards. Bruce Irvin had 1.0 sack.

As a last little nugget, this was the last game that Percy Harvin would play for the Seahawks. It was reported that he refused to go back into this game late in the 4th Quarter which was seemingly the last straw. He was traded to the New York Jets on October 19, 2014.